Recently, I read a selection from Verlyn Klinkenborg’s Several Short Sentences About Writing. A few of the excerpts stood out to me, and I felt as though they gave me a deeper understanding of some of the writing process’s nuances. Klinkenborg’s writing style is very non-traditional in the sense that it is composed rather like a poem, compared to the traditional prose style.
The first excerpt that stands out to me is shown below. It reads, “But everything you notice is important. Let me say that in a different way: If you notice something, it’s because it’s important.”
This excerpt is interesting to me because it makes me think about all of the small instances in life that I remember so clearly, yet when I try to remember the things that I think are important, I often struggle to recall them.
The second excerpt that stands out to me is below. This one reads, “If you make strong, supple sentences, Improvise, understand, and exploit your mistakes, Keep yourself open to the possibilities each sentence creates.”
This excerpt makes me think about the things that I now do proficiently, but these skills were learned through mistakes, and those mistakes taught me how to improve my skills. “Exploiting” them, if you will.
Lastly, this excerpt reads, “You can only become a better writer by becoming a better reader. You have far more experience as a reader than you do as a writer.”
This excerpt makes me think about how I learned to listen, talk, read, and write in that order. You obviously have to practice something to improve your skill, and this excerpt explains how people read much, much more than they write. I wonder what would happen if children were taught the four basic language skills in a different order. Could it improve the way that they function as adults? Interesting…
Overall, Verlyn Klinkenborg’s Several Short Sentences About Writing brought many untouched ideas to my mind, and it was certainly an interesting read.
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